Netflix to Adapt Spanish Masterpiece

April 19, 2019

Nobel Prize–winning author Gabriel García Márquez’s literary masterwork One Hundred Years of Solitude is coming to the screen. Netflix has acquired the rights to develop the beloved and acclaimed novel, considered to be one of the most significant works of the 20th century, into a Netflix Spanish-language original series. One Hundred Years of Solitude was first published in 1967 and since that time has sold an estimated 50 million copies around the world and been translated into 46 languages (source: the Balcells Agency).

García Márquez’s sons Rodrigo Garcia and Gonzalo García Barcha will serve as executive producers on the series, which will be filmed mainly in Colombia. “For decades our father was reluctant to sell the film rights to Cien Años de Soledad because he believed that it could not be made under the time constraints of a feature film, or that producing it in a language other than Spanish would not do it justice,” said García.

He continued, “But in the current golden age of series, with the level of talented writing and directing, the cinematic quality of content, and the acceptance by worldwide audiences of programs in foreign languages, the time could not be better to bring an adaptation to the extraordinary global viewership that Netflix provides. We are excited to support Netflix and the filmmakers in this venture, and eager to see the final product.”

“We are incredibly honored to be entrusted with the first filmed adaptation of One Hundred Years of Solitude, a timeless and iconic story from Latin America that we are thrilled to share with the world,” said Francisco Ramos, vice president of Netflix Spanish-language originals. “We know our members around the world love watching Spanish-language films and series, and we feel this will be a perfect match of project and our platform.”

Márquez, who died in 2014 at the age of 87, received many offers over the years to develop his groundbreaking saga for the screen but refused them all. The magical-realist style will certainly be a challenge, but Netflix has been very successful in its Spanish-language programming, particularly with the Oscar-winning film Roma.